Band Camp - Absence

I thought I could keep up with my Daily Build Ups and serve as an instructor at Pontiac (IL) Township High School's marching band camp, but I was wrong. Temperatures in the 90s and an aging body have proved a little too much for me.

I will try to get going again before too long. Thank you for your patience!

God is good!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Prosperity

Prosperity

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I'm hearing a lot these days about prosperity. I've heard this passage from Jeremiah offered as a indication that following God will lead to prosperity. I agree, but with a deep concern for how we define prosperity.

One definition of prosperity is worldly wealth. One could deduce from that definition that if one follows God, then he will become wealthy by the worlds standards.

I happen to adhere to a different definition. I believe God's definition of prosperity is becoming the person that God designed me to be. In God's economy wealth is measured by spiritual maturity, not by the car one drives. I believe God's plans are to help me to be spiritually mature.

James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Prosper in the Lord!
Lon

If you have time and interest, check out this video by John Piper about the "Prosperity Gospel":
http://stevenjcamp.blogspot.com/2007/07/john-piper-on-prosperity-gospel-one-of.html

Acorn Build Up: Wet Toes

Wet Toes

Joshua 3:15-16
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away...So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

God didn't "pile up" the water in the Jordan until the priests got their feet wet. That appears to be a standard operating procedure for God, that is, He waits until we make a commitment.

My dear friend Jason Woolever put this great John Maxwell quote on his post-methodist blog:

Commitment is the Key
“Until I am committed there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself then God moves also and a whole stream of events begin to erupt. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons and material assistance that I could have never dreamed would come my way begin to flow toward me… the moment I make a commitment.”

God is calling each of us into action, to cross our Jordan.

Let's get our feet wet!
Lon

Guest Encourager: Rachel Smith "Be Still"

Be Still, by Rachel Smith

My father died at the end of May and I have searched for sometime now on how to convey this unique and confusing kind of pain that comes with loosing a parent. My father and I were not close the years immediately before his death and I wonder in my finite mind, will I see him in heaven? Will he know me? Will he love me? Will he miss me? Will he forgive my wrongs?

I can’t think about my own flawed earthly father without thinking of our perfect heavenly father. You see, the earthly parents we all have were chosen for us (good or bad) by the Lord himself. I have had times in my life where I have felt separated from God. Where I have strayed from what is right. In fact almost every day I make choices that would not please my God. I wonder in my finite mind, will I see him in heaven? Will he know me? Will he love me? Will he miss me? Will he forgive my wrongs?

And then, He answers me softly “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Acorn Build Up: Trust

Trust

John 14:1
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me."

Trusting is tough for most of us. We've been burned by people that should have been worthy of our trust, so we learn not to trust others. Plus, our culture screams at us to be independent and self-reliant. Pride, which we are so susceptible to, doesn't make trusting any easier. I can still hear the toddler in me screaming, "I can do it myself!"

Then we wonder why life is so difficult. We fret and we worry.

Jesus calls us to trust Him. Trusting God allows us to stop worrying. After all, if we trust that God is in charge, and He loves us, and His plan is to prosper us, then why waste time and energy worrying?

Trust God ~ Don't Worry

Lon

Acorn Build Up: Another Absence

Another Absence

Sorry for the extremely late notice, but I'm away from my computer this week. I'm serving as the "speaker" for a High School Camp being held at Camp Menno Haven.

Here's the brochure blurb:

~High School Camp . . . July 15-20. . . Grades 10-12* . . . from the hyper worship to the exciting full-camp games to the coffee house banquet, this week is what your looking for to complete your summer! C'mon, seriously though, just ask your parents to assume your car payments for a week and come on down. Camp runs from Sunday at 6 PM to Friday at 6:30 PM.

I will rest up this weekend and start posting Build Ups next week. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Stand Your Ground

Stand Your Ground

1 Corinthians 15:58 (The Message)
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

I saw a great sign in front of the Faith Christian Church (Washington, IL). It read:

The mighty oak tree was once a tiny nut that stood its ground.

God calls us to participate in gaining ground for His Kingdom. The challenge is that God ways are not the same as the ways of man. God's ways often look unreasonable to the world.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world...

Against the pressure to conform to the world we are called to stand our ground. Further, we are to throw ourselves into the work for which God has called us. Keep in mind that no effort made for God will be wasted.

Stand your ground.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Guest Encourager - Woolever

Are you a lifter or a leaner? – Submitted by Pastor Jason Woolever

1Thessalonians 5:11
"...encourage one another and build each other up..."

Check out this old poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for 'tis well understood
That the good are half-bad and the bad are half-good.
No! The two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.

Are you a person who lifts the loads of others with your attitude, words, and actions? Or are you the type who makes people's loads feel heavier than they were before you entered the room? What would your family/co-workers say?


To read more from Pastor Jason, check out his blog at:
http://post-methodist.blogspot.com

Acorn Build Up: Watch your mouth!

Watch your mouth!

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

"Watch your mouth!" is a phrase I remember from my youth. My memory of these words is pretty clear because I think I heard them often. The words that come out of our mouths can be terribly hurtful! The old "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me" is less than accurate in my experience. Words can hurt!

I was a freshman at a Big 10 university when I heard, "You can't write." He was a graduate assistant and I was his student in an English 101 class. The shame is that I believed him. It took me 11 English classes to break the hold those words had on me.

I was a junior at a different university when I heard, "You write well, but you just need some work on your grammar." She was a part-time teacher and I was her student in a special 099 English class for people that needed help to function at the college level. Those words had power. Three years later the faculty members overseeing my graduate work suggested that I needed to publish my writings!

Change a life, encourage someone with your words today.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Neighbor Build

Neighbor Build

Romans 15:2
Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

The world teaches us to stand on top of your neighbor in order to get ahead. According to the prevailing culture, neighbors are people to out-run, not build up. After all, building up someone else doesn't do anything for the "bottom line", that is, pleasing my neighbor doesn't help me.

Talk about counter-cultural! Our faith teaches us to to reach out to our neighbors for their good. We are to encourage them and build them up. We do this for their good, not for our own personal benefit.

Reach out and build up a neighbor.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Absence

Absence

I will be away from my computer for a few days. I hope to get a Build Up sent your way later in the week. Until then, try to find ways to build up the people God places in your path. Lifting people builds spiritual muscles.

In Christ,
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Leadings

Leadings

Luke 9:59-60
[Jesus] said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

I've always thought Jesus' response to the man was unreasonably harsh. It seems to lack the compassion that I associate with the Lord. William Barclay provides a different perspective:

In all probability the man's father was not dead, and not even near dead. His saying most likely meant, "I will follow you after my father has died."

The point Jesus was making is that in everything there is a crucial moment; if that moment is missed the thing most likely will never be done at all. The man in the story had stirrings in his heart to get out of his spiritually dead surroundings; if he missed the moment he would never get out.

If we put off until to-morrow, it will in all likelihood never be [done]. Jesus urges us to act at once when our hearts are stirred.

The Spirit is constantly at work guiding and encouraging us to follow God's will. The moment we become aware of God's leading is the very moment to do something about it. The more we respond, the more sensitive we become to subsequent leadings. The more we respond, the more truly useful we become for the Lord's purposes.

Listen and act.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Freedom

Freedom

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.

When we accept Christ our bonds of slavery to sin are broken. We are free! We are given the freedom to turn to Christ when temptation rises. There in the arms of our Savior we are free.

The challenge comes when we stop looking toward Christ. We reason that a little taste of the forbidden can't hurt. We rationalize that we've been good so a little reward is due. In essence we take our eyes off of the Lord and turn our attention to ourselves.

Without much fanfare we simply pick up the yoke of sin and submit ourselves to its reign. Slavery.

Stand firm.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Peace When Troubled

Peace When Troubled

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you...

When times are tough, it is important to regain our focus on Jesus. For some reason, God has allowed this difficulty into the path of our life. Discovering the reason isn't nearly as important as determining how we react to the challenge. Every difficulty that blows through our life is an opportunity to look to Jesus and to reflect His peace.

In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote:

Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused...Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself.

I have often found the peace of Christ during troubled times by singing this old hymn,

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace.

Peace be with you.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Acceptable

Acceptable

Psalm 19:14 ESV
Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

This past weekend I attended a worship service led by a local singing group called Acceptable. One of the singers explained that the name for their group came from his mother's use of Psalms 19:14 as her theme verse for life.

Isn't that what we most deeply desire, to please God? We want God to find pleasure in every aspect of, and moment in, our life. This goes way beyond our intentionally spiritual moments, like worship services, Bible study, and prayer time. This includes the times when we're over-tired, under-fed, and all around worn thin.

This even extends to the words we choose and the thoughts we entertain. To please God with our words and thoughts requires us to become increasingly aware of God's presence in our lives. Just because we don't think about Him, doesn't mean God stepped out for a smoke. No, God is always with us. It's our attentiveness to Him that has taken a powder.

Be acceptable.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Trust

Trust

John 14:1
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in [Jesus].

This whole obedience thing is nigh on impossible when we don't trust the Lord. Think how hard it is to obey someone you don't trust. When trust is lacking our efforts are halting and without confidence. We limp along waiting for the other shoe to drop; expecting the worse.

On the other hand, how wonderfully freeing it is to follow, that is obey, someone we trust. When trust is in place our steps are bold. We take action. We attempt things we wouldn't even consider were we left to our own initiative; expecting success.

Trusting in the Lord, like people, begins small and builds. The more we turn over to God, the more we find Him trustworthy. As our trust in the Lord grows, He calls us into deeper obedience. Trust leads to obedience.

Trust and Obey.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Sacrifice

Sacrifice

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is becoming common to hear myself and others lament about the sacrifices we are making for our work. When people ask, "How are you doing?" My response often sounds like, "I'm very, very busy! I haven't even seen my family in days!"

The more one sacrifices for the job, family, church, even God, the more respect we seem to give them. This communicates a strange and scary message: The more you sacrifice, the better.

So we sacrifice. We sacrifice our health, our relationship with our spouse, our friends, our relationship with our children, and our relationship with God.

In his book "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers takes a very counter-cultural perspective:

It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice.

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice... (1 Samuel 15:22)

Obedience over sacrifice.
Lon

Acorn Build Up: Audience

Audience

Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I've just finished a very busy season of musical theatre. I played trumpet in the pit band for "West Side Story" in our local community theatre. Because of this experience the concept of "audience" is fresh in my head. Every ounce of effort that went into this production was for the purpose of pleasing the audience.

In this passage, Paul calls our attention to our chosen audience in life. To whom are we performing? Singer and songwriter Sara Groves put it wonderfully in her song "This Journey is My Own". Here are some selected lyrics:

When I stand before the Lord,
I’ll be standing alone.
This journey is my own.
Still I want man’s advice,
and I need man’s approval,
but this journey is my own.

So much of what I do is to make a good impression.
This journey is my own.
So much of what I say is to make myself look better.
This journey is my own.

I have never felt relief like I feel it right now.
This journey is my own.
‘Cause trying to please the world
it was breaking me down...
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one...
‘Cause I know this journey is my own

You can live for someone else
And it will only bring your pain
I can’t even judge myself
Only the Lord can say, “Well done.”

Acorn Build Up: God's Workmanship

God's Workmanship


Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I once saw an awesome Christian singer/songwriter perform a song called "Masterpiece in Progress". The singer, Jeff Steinberg, is a man that has overcome tremendous obstacles in his life. You see Jeff has no arms and his legs are badly deformed. Now he sings of God's workmanship: "Jesus is working on me and I'm becoming what He wants me to be".

I'll likely never forget that night seeing Jeff belt out this amazing song. I sat across from Jeff at supper that night. Somehow my friends and I ended up in one of the very front tables and Jeff was seated with us. I had no idea he was performing that evening. Frankly, I thought he was seated there as a courtesy because of his disability. That's what I saw; his disability. When dinner was over, much to my surprise, Jeff was helped onto the stage to entertain and encourage us.

We truly are masterpieces in progress designed to do the good works God has placed before us. Thanks, Jeff!

If you have a moment, please check out Jeff's ministry by clicking on this link: Jeff Steinberg

Acorn Build Up: Dedication

Dedication

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you...in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.

This passage was used in the daily devotion book I use by Oswald Chambers titled, "My Utmost for His Highest". Chambers wrote:

We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself.

I love Eugene Peterson's take on this passage:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life -- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life -- and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. (The Message)

Worship God by dedicating our everyday lives to Him.

Be dedicated.
Lon